职场中的服从信号

顺从和支配模式对于人类来说就像对于其他动物一样自然，职场也不例外。

双语精读

The signals of workplace submissiveness

职场中的服从信号

Animals have evolved many different ways to signal submissiveness to their more powerful counterparts.

动物进化出了许多不同的方式来向更强大的同类发出顺从的信号。

Lower-ranking chimpanzees might greet a dominant chimp by producing a breathy sound known as a pant-grunt. Chickens invented the very concept of pecking orders.

地位较低的黑猩猩可能会通过发出一种被称为“喘气呼噜”的呼吸声来迎接地位较高的黑猩猩。“啄序”这个概念本身就是鸡发明的。

But patterns of deference and dominance are as natural for humans as they are for other animals, and the workplace is no exception. Most companies have org charts that show who outranks whom.

但是顺从和支配模式对于人类来说就像对于其他动物一样自然，职场也不例外。大多数公司都有组织架构图，显示谁的级别高于谁。

But deference shows up in other, less explicit ways, too. Seating arrangements are a good example. Imagine entering a meeting room first.

但服从也会以其他不太明显的方式表现出来。座位安排就是一个很好的例子。想象一下你第一个进入会议室。

You know that lots of people are going to be sitting around the table, some more senior than you, and that the meeting will be chaired by the chief executive. Your task is to work out where to sit.

你知道很多人将会围坐在桌子旁，有些人比你职位更高，而且会议将由首席执行官主持。你的任务是想出自己要坐在哪里。

Chances are that you will not take a seat at the head of the table or midway along either side: these are places where the boss would naturally sit. Somewhere along the sides and towards the end are the safest places to head.

很有可能你不会坐在桌子的首位或两侧的中间位置：这些是老板自然会坐的地方。两侧靠后的某个地方是最安全的选择。

Another form of deference has more obvious roots in the animal kingdom. In his book "Mama's Last Hug", Frans de Waal, a primatologist and author, describes how monkeys and apes use a teeth-baring grin as a signal of submissiveness to a dominant animal.

另一种形式的顺从在动物王国里有更明显的根源。灵长类动物学家和作家弗兰斯·德瓦尔在《妈妈的最后拥抱》中描述了猴子和猿如何用露齿笑作为对主导动物的顺从信号。

The office equivalent is observable when the most senior person in the room makes a joke and everyone laughs. Inside the room it's much more likely to be a display of deference than an outbreak of genuine hilarity.

办公室里也有同样的情况：当房间里职位最高的人讲了一个笑话，所有人都会笑。在房间里面，这更有可能是在表现顺从，而不是真心地暴发出欢笑。

Hierarchies are useful. They incentivise people to aim higher in their careers, they enable co-ordination and they mean that decisions are taken and then stick. When someone higher up the food chain has the power to promote or sack you, a bit of deference is not just inevitable but also wise.

等级结构是有用的。它激励人们在职业生涯中追求更高的目标，它促进协调，它还意味着决策做出了就会坚持下去。当食物链中地位更高的人有权提拔或解雇你时，表现出一点顺从不仅是不可避免的，也是明智的。

But hierarchies can also cause a lot of damage, by quelling debate, gumming up decision-making and reducing autonomy. This is why it is worth being alert to quietly submissive workplace behaviours.

但等级结构也可能造成很大的破坏，它会压制争论、阻碍决策、削弱自主权。这就是为什么需要意识到职场中默认的服从行为。

Their pervasiveness is a reminder to managers that power is always likely to distort interactions-in ways that are subtle as well as obvious, small as well as large.

这种行为的普遍存在提醒管理者，权力总是可能扭曲互动——这种扭曲可能明显，也可能微妙，扭曲程度可能大，也可能小。

If your employees express mild concern about a decision of yours, it is probably best to assume they are really worried about it. And if someone laughs at your jokes, don't start planning a career in stand-up.

如果你的员工对你的某个决定表达了轻微的担忧，那么你最好假设他们实际上对此非常担忧。以及如果有人因你的笑话而发笑，请不要开始计划发展脱口秀职业。

词汇预习

• chimp [高考]
  美[tʃɪmp] | 英[tʃɪmp]
  n. (非洲)黑猩猩
• enable [高考]
  美[ɪˈneɪbl] | 英[ɪˈneɪbl]
  vt. 使能够；使可能
• executive [高考]
  美[ɪɡˈzekjətɪv] | 英[ɪɡˈzekjətɪv]
  adj. 行政的；决策的；经营的；[计算机]执行指令
  n. 行政主管；行政部门；决策者
• alert [高考]
  美[əˈlɜːrt] | 英[əˈlɜːt]
  adj. 警觉的；灵敏的
  vt. 使意识到；警惕
  n. 警戒；警报
• exception [高考]
  美[ɪkˈsepʃn] | 英[ɪkˈsepʃn]
  n. 例外；不合规则；反对；[律]异议
• reminder [高考]
  美[rɪˈmaɪndər] | 英[rɪˈmaɪndə(r)]
  n. 提醒物；提示；催单
• autonomy [高考]
  美[ɔːˈtɑːnəmi] | 英[ɔːˈtɒnəmi]
  n. 自治；自治权；自主
• outbreak [高考]
  美[ˈaʊtbreɪk] | 英[ˈaʊtbreɪk]
  n. 爆发；暴动
• equivalent [高考]
  美[ɪˈkwɪvələnt] | 英[ɪˈkwɪvələnt]
  adj. 等价的 相等的
  n. 相等物
• dominant [高考]
  美[ˈdɑːmɪnənt] | 英[ˈdɒmɪnənt]
  adj. 主要的；占优势的；显性的
  n. 主宰者；显性基因
• promote [高考]
  美[prəˈmoʊt] | 英[prəˈməʊt]
  vt. 促进；提升；升迁；发起；促销，推销
• concept [高考]
  美[ˈkɑːnsept] | 英[ˈkɒnsept]
  n. 观念；概念；想法
• debate [高考]
  美[dɪˈbeɪt] | 英[dɪˈbeɪt]
  n. 辩论；讨论
  vt. 争论；思考
  vi. 辩论
• obvious [高考]
  美[ˈɑːbviəs] | 英[ˈɒbviəs]
  adj.明显的;显著的;平淡无奇的;自明
• assume [高考]
  美[əˈsuːm] | 英[əˈsjuːm]
  vt. 假定；设想；承担；(想当然的)认为；假装
• chief [高考]
  美[tʃiːf] | 英[tʃiːf]
  adj. 主要的；首要的
  n. 首领
• mild [高考]
  美[maɪld] | 英[maɪld]
  adj. 温和的；柔和的；宽大的；清淡的
• kingdom [高考]
  美[ˈkɪŋdəm] | 英[ˈkɪŋdəm]
  n. 王国；领域；界
• explicit [高考]
  美[ɪkˈsplɪsɪt] | 英[ɪkˈsplɪsɪt]
  adj. 明确的；清晰的；清楚的；露骨的
• concern about [高考]
  美[kənˈsɚn əˈbaʊt] | 英[kənˈsə:n əˈbaut]
  对 ... 的关心； 对 ... 忧虑
• genuine [高考]
  美[ˈdʒenjuɪn] | 英[ˈdʒenjuɪn]
  adj. 真诚的；真正的；真实的；地道的
• sack [高考]
  美[sæk] | 英[sæk]
  n. 袋子；解雇
  vt. 解雇；把 ... 装入袋子；劫掠
• subtle [高考]
  美[ˈsʌtl] | 英[ˈsʌtl]
  adj. 微妙的；敏锐的；不明显的；精细的；狡猾的
• workplace [高考]
  美[ˈwɜːrkpleɪs] | 英[ˈwɜːkpleɪs]
  n. 工作场所
• where [高考]
  美[wer] | 英[weə(r)]
  adv. 在哪里；在那个地方
  conj. 在 ... 地方
• would [高考]
  美[wʊd , wəd] | 英[wʊd , wəd]
  aux. 将；可能；大概；总会；愿意；will的过去式
• worried [高考]
  美[ˈwɜːrid] | 英[ˈwʌrid]
  adj. 担心的；烦恼的
• inevitable [四级]
  美[ɪnˈevɪtəbl] | 英[ɪnˈevɪtəbl]
  adj. 不可避免的；必然(发生)的
• decision-making [四级]
  美[dɪ'sɪʒn 'meɪkɪŋ] | 英[dɪ'sɪʒn 'meɪkɪŋ]
  n. 决策
  adj. 决策的
• planning [四级]
  美[ˈplænɪŋ] | 英[ˈplænɪŋ]
  n. 规划；计划；设计
  v. plan的现在分词
• dominance [四级]
  美[ˈdɑmənəns] | 英['dɒmɪnəns]
  n. 支配；控制；统治；优势；【生】优势度，显性
• distort [六级]
  美[dɪˈstɔːrt] | 英[dɪˈstɔːt]
  vt. 歪曲；扭曲；变形
  vi. 歪曲
• grin [六级]
  美[ɡrɪn] | 英[ɡrɪn]
  v. 露齿而笑；(以咧嘴笑来)表示
  n. 露齿笑；咧嘴笑
• grunt [六级]
  美[ɡrʌnt] | 英[grʌnt]
  v. 咕哝；（猪等）打呼噜
  n. 咕哝；呼噜声
• submissive [专八]
  美[səbˈmɪsɪv] | 英[səbˈmɪsɪv]
  adj. 服从的；顺从的
• midway [专八]
  美[ˈmɪdˌwe] | 英[ˌmɪdˈweɪ]
  adj. 中途的；中间的
  adv. 中途地；中间地
  n. 中途；中间；娱乐场；折中办法
• observable [考研]
  美[əbˈzɜrvəbl] | 英[əbˈzɜ:vəbl]
  adj. 可观察到的；值得注意的；可遵守的
  n. [物]可观察量(观察符号)
• deference [考研]
  美[ˈdefərəns] | 英[ˈdefərəns]
  n. 顺从；敬重
• submissiveness [考研]
  美[səb'mɪsɪvnəs] | 英[səb'mɪsɪvnəs]
  n. 服从；顺从
• don [托福]
  美[dɑn] | 英[dɒn]
  n. 先生（西班牙用语）；(牛津、剑桥大学的)指导教师
  v. 穿上

重点讲解

The signals of workplace submissiveness

职场中的服从信号

submissive  adj. 服从的；听话的

【例】He expected his daughter to be submissive.

他希望女儿能温顺听话。

【拓展】submit  v. 顺从；屈服

【例】She refused to submit to threats. 

她拒绝向威胁屈服。

Animals have evolved many different ways to signal submissiveness to their more powerful counterparts.

动物进化出了许多不同的方式来向更强大的同类发出顺从的信号。

submissive  adj. 服从的；听话的

【例】He expected his daughter to be submissive.

他希望女儿能温顺听话。

【拓展】submit  v. 顺从；屈服

【例】She refused to submit to threats. 

她拒绝向威胁屈服。

Lower-ranking chimpanzees might greet a dominant chimp by producing a breathy sound known as a pant-grunt. Chickens invented the very concept of pecking orders.

地位较低的黑猩猩可能会通过发出一种被称为“喘气呼噜”的呼吸声来迎接地位较高的黑猩猩。“啄序”这个概念本身就是鸡发明的。

pecking order  啄序；等级排序

【例】He is at the top of the pecking order of the company.

他是公司的老大。

【近义词】hierarchy  n. 等级排序

【拓展】peck  v. 啄食

deference  n. 服从；遵从

【例】The women wore veils in deference to the customs of the country. 

这些妇女戴着面纱是遵从这个国家的习俗。

【拓展】defer to  遵从；服从

【例】We will defer to your decisions.

我们听从你的决定。

But patterns of deference and dominance are as natural for humans as they are for other animals, and the workplace is no exception. Most companies have org charts that show who outranks whom.

但是顺从和支配模式对于人类来说就像对于其他动物一样自然，职场也不例外。大多数公司都有组织架构图，显示谁的级别高于谁。

pecking order  啄序；等级排序

【例】He is at the top of the pecking order of the company.

他是公司的老大。

【近义词】hierarchy  n. 等级排序

【拓展】peck  v. 啄食

deference  n. 服从；遵从

【例】The women wore veils in deference to the customs of the country. 

这些妇女戴着面纱是遵从这个国家的习俗。

【拓展】defer to  遵从；服从

【例】We will defer to your decisions.

我们听从你的决定。

But deference shows up in other, less explicit ways, too. Seating arrangements are a good example. Imagine entering a meeting room first.

但服从也会以其他不太明显的方式表现出来。座位安排就是一个很好的例子。想象一下你第一个进入会议室。

explicit  adj. 明显的；清晰的

【例】She was quite explicit about why she had left. 

她对自己离开的原因直言不讳。

【反义词】implicit  adj. 含蓄的；不言明的

【例】an implicit acceptance  默认

chair  v. 主持（会议）

【例】He will chair the meeting tomorrow.

明天他将主持会议。

【拓展】chairman  n. 主席

【辨析】host  v. 主办（各种活动）

【例】to host the Olympic Games 主办奥运会

to host a dinner  为晚宴做东

You know that lots of people are going to be sitting around the table, some more senior than you, and that the meeting will be chaired by the chief executive. Your task is to work out where to sit.

你知道很多人将会围坐在桌子旁，有些人比你职位更高，而且会议将由首席执行官主持。你的任务是想出自己要坐在哪里。

explicit  adj. 明显的；清晰的

【例】She was quite explicit about why she had left. 

她对自己离开的原因直言不讳。

【反义词】implicit  adj. 含蓄的；不言明的

【例】an implicit acceptance  默认

chair  v. 主持（会议）

【例】He will chair the meeting tomorrow.

明天他将主持会议。

【拓展】chairman  n. 主席

【辨析】host  v. 主办（各种活动）

【例】to host the Olympic Games 主办奥运会

to host a dinner  为晚宴做东

Chances are that you will not take a seat at the head of the table or midway along either side: these are places where the boss would naturally sit. Somewhere along the sides and towards the end are the safest places to head.

很有可能你不会坐在桌子的首位或两侧的中间位置：这些是老板自然会坐的地方。两侧靠后的某个地方是最安全的选择。

chances are that...  很有可能……

【例】Chances are that they will win the game.

很有可能他们比赛会赢。

【近义词】there is a good chance that... 很有可能……

Another form of deference has more obvious roots in the animal kingdom. In his book “Mama’s Last Hug”, Frans de Waal, a primatologist and author, describes how monkeys and apes use a teeth-baring grin as a signal of submissiveness to a dominant animal.

另一种形式的顺从在动物王国里有更明显的根源。灵长类动物学家和作家弗兰斯·德瓦尔在《妈妈的最后拥抱》中描述了猴子和猿如何用露齿笑作为对主导动物的顺从信号。

bare  adj. 裸露的；无遮盖的

【例】She was walking on the beach in bare feet.

她光着脚在沙滩上走。

【搭配】to bare the teeth  露出牙齿；龇牙咧嘴

【例】The dog bared its teeth and growled. 

那条狗龇牙咧嘴地低吼。

equivalent  n. 等同物

【例】Breathing such polluted air is the equivalent of smoking ten cigarettes a day. 

呼吸污染这么严重的空气等于每天抽十支烟。

【搭配】A is the equivalent of/to B  A是B的等同物

【近义词】be equal to sth  与某物等同

The office equivalent is observable when the most senior person in the room makes a joke and everyone laughs. Inside the room it’s much more likely to be a display of deference than an outbreak of genuine hilarity.

办公室里也有同样的情况：当房间里职位最高的人讲了一个笑话，所有人都会笑。在房间里面，这更有可能是在表现顺从，而不是真心地暴发出欢笑。

bare  adj. 裸露的；无遮盖的

【例】She was walking on the beach in bare feet.

她光着脚在沙滩上走。

【搭配】to bare the teeth  露出牙齿；龇牙咧嘴

【例】The dog bared its teeth and growled. 

那条狗龇牙咧嘴地低吼。

equivalent  n. 等同物

【例】Breathing such polluted air is the equivalent of smoking ten cigarettes a day. 

呼吸污染这么严重的空气等于每天抽十支烟。

【搭配】A is the equivalent of/to B  A是B的等同物

【近义词】be equal to sth  与某物等同

Hierarchies are useful. They incentivise people to aim higher in their careers, they enable co-ordination and they mean that decisions are taken and then stick. When someone higher up the food chain has the power to promote or sack you, a bit of deference is not just inevitable but also wise.

等级结构是有用的。它激励人们在职业生涯中追求更高的目标，它促进协调，它还意味着决策做出了就会坚持下去。当食物链中地位更高的人有权提拔或解雇你时，表现出一点顺从不仅是不可避免的，也是明智的。

aim  v. 瞄准；目标是

【例】We aim to provide better service.

我们的目标是提供更好的服务。

The measures are aimed to provide better service.

这些措施的目标是提供更好的服务。

I aimed at the bird but missed. 

我瞄准那只鸟射击，可是没打中。

But hierarchies can also cause a lot of damage, by quelling debate, gumming up decision-making and reducing autonomy. This is why it is worth being alert to quietly submissive workplace behaviours.

但等级结构也可能造成很大的破坏，它会压制争论、阻碍决策、削弱自主权。这就是为什么需要意识到职场中默认的服从行为。

autonomy  n. 自主权；自主性

【例】You should give your daughter more autonomy in her life.

你应该给女儿更大的自主权。

【拓展】autonomous  adj. 自主的；自治的

【辨析】automatic  adj. 自动的

be alert to  意识到；注意到

【例】We must be alert to the possibility of danger. 

我们必须认识到危险的可能性。

【近义词】realize/be aware of  意识到

Their pervasiveness is a reminder to managers that power is always likely to distort interactions—in ways that are subtle as well as obvious, small as well as large.

这种行为的普遍存在提醒管理者，权力总是可能扭曲互动——这种扭曲可能明显，也可能微妙，扭曲程度可能大，也可能小。

pervasive  adj. 普遍存在的；充斥的

【例】A sense of social change is pervasive in her novels. 

她的小说里充斥着社会变化的意识。

【近义词】widespread  adj. 普遍存在的；广泛的

【拓展】pervade  v. 遍及；弥漫

【例】A sense of social change pervades her novels.

社会变化的意识充斥着她的小说。

mild  adj. 温和的；轻微的

【例】a mild fever 低烧

mild climate  温和的气候

mild anger  略微恼怒

If your employees express mild concern about a decision of yours, it is probably best to assume they are really worried about it. And if someone laughs at your jokes, don’t start planning a career in stand-up.

如果你的员工对你的某个决定表达了轻微的担忧，那么你最好假设他们实际上对此非常担忧。以及如果有人因你的笑话而发笑，请不要开始计划发展脱口秀职业。

pervasive  adj. 普遍存在的；充斥的

【例】A sense of social change is pervasive in her novels. 

她的小说里充斥着社会变化的意识。

【近义词】widespread  adj. 普遍存在的；广泛的

【拓展】pervade  v. 遍及；弥漫

【例】A sense of social change pervades her novels.

社会变化的意识充斥着她的小说。

mild  adj. 温和的；轻微的

【例】a mild fever 低烧

mild climate  温和的气候

mild anger  略微恼怒

课后练习

• Humans and some animals are similar in that ____.

  A. they both live independent lives
  B. they both live in groups and work as a team
  C. they both help the weaker ones in the group
  D. they both have a hierarchy and defer to the strong ones

• Where is the suitable seat for a junior employee in a meeting room?

  A. At the head of the table.
  B. Midway along the side of the table.
  C. Somewhere near the end of the table.
  D. Anywhere in the meeting room.

• Why it is important for managers to be aware of implicit submissiveness?

  A. Because it can lead to more autonomy for employees.
  B. Because it helps employees get promotion more quickly.
  C. Because it can ensure that employees defer to their orders.
  D. Because it suggests that employees may not speak their minds.

• Why does the author advise against planning a career in stand-up at the end of the text?

  A. Because stand-up comedy is a very difficult career path.
  B. Because employees may not actually find your jokes funny.
  C. Because you need to consider your career choices carefully.
  D. Because talent alone is not enough for a career in stand-up.